Just learned yesterday that our 2006 Prius needs a new battery pack. It has just under 115,000 miles. Replacing with new will cost just under $3400.00. Considering buying salvage and have also wrote to Toyota asking for help on part costs in an effort to save some money. Anyone have any feedback on either option? Thanks.
If it was mine, I would consider either a salvage battery or Re-Involt. E-bay has many for well under $1000. Re-Involt has gotten favorable reviews here. Before doing anything, however, I suggest describing the symptoms here and listing the diagnostic trouble codes the dealer pulled that lead them to believe it's the battery. Dealers unfortunately are sometimes wrong.
Thanks for the reply, JimboK. This is what I can describe: master warning light, brake system warning light, hybrid system warning light and check engine light are all on. Battery charge graphic on multi indicator display shows more than half to fully charged all the time, but does not fill the entire display as in the past, the left side is not illuminated. When car is on, but in park, engine turns on and off repeatedly while normally it would be off. Service tech from yesterday is off today so I have not been able to get the diagnostic trouble codes. Does this tell you anything?
+1 on the Re-Involt option. AutoBeYours.com (Southern Indiana) could also be helpful, for getting a salvage pack that is more likely to work than one out of a random junkyard. The main issue with a collision salvage pack is that the terminal voltage has to be high enough to turn the engine on, which may not be the case if it has been sitting for a long time. If it needs to be charged, then a DIY repair becomes much more difficult/dangerous. ZERO reason to buy a new one from Toyota, as the prismatic cells in Gen II have excellent longevity. Just like the engine, there will always be a plentiful supply of salvage battery packs, as the collision total-loss rate is higher than the failure rate.
How old is your 12v battery? If original or > 4yrs, I'd swap that out first and see if the symptoms go away.
If that was a NJ car I'd bet the dealer wouldn't recommend a new HV battery as it would be a warranty repair. What are the voltage readings from the 12v? The DTC should have been reported on the paperwork.
No, not too much, although one of our technical experts-in-residence (not me) might be able to tell you more. The DTCs are the most important piece to the puzzle. Meanwhile, as MJFrog suggests, if your 12V battery is the original, you might consider replacing it. A marginal 12V can be the cause of a variety of strange symptoms in Prius. See this for more. I replaced mine after 4 years as a preventive maintenance measure.
I have an 07 Prius with 173000 miles...mostly from high mountain to plain driving in Colorado. 12 v started failing last year. Was in financially challenging times...and not sure I would hang on to vehicle due to possible move...so did not replace until this week. Was able to limp along for a year with one of those portable battery packs. Dealer who installed here told me that this is the highest mileage Prius they have seen to date. I now live in Hawaii....and due to gas prices am thrilled that I hung on to car. The only other items I have previously had to replace is water pump...which I think has been recognized as a design issue. I have never replaced the brakes and to date have only used 20% of the pads. SERIOUSLY. I am faithful about getting oil changes. I am one of those who ended up going down the road at 80 miles an hour unexpectedly...and yes i did have the rugged floor mats to which they attirbuted the problem. I will definitley get another Prius....probably second generation again...RELIABLE! Average 44-48 MPG.
What was the resolution to this issue? Inquiring minds want to know. And it helps with the accumulation of knowledge on the subject.
Where was BiffPa's car originally purchased? The 12-13 states which follow CA emission standards have 150k mile battery warranties, but it also depends on model year. For example, 2004 NJ cars had 100k mile battery warranty, 2005 and newer 150k.
